~Oct-Dec 1903: Getting what you want
October 1903: With tensions between Japan in Russia over Manchuria growing, Japanese ambassador to the US Takahira Kogorō holds urgent talks with President Roosevelt, resulting in the US issuing a strong statement of support for the Japanese position. To reinforce this statement, Roosevelt orders four battleships and two armoured cruisers be deployed to the Philippines to strengthen the US Asiatic Squadron. This clear display of US support will markedly increase Japanese willingness to commit to war and further improve US-Japanese relations.
October 1903: After careful preparations an expeditionary force of 4,000 British and Indian Army troops under Brigadier James MacDonald is dispatched to Tibet to ensure it remains under Southern Qing control. While the thirteenth Dalai Lama has been raising troops to counter the expedition, he is fully aware his forces are utterly outmatched by the British and therefore he orders them to fall back, making no aggressive moves towards the British.
October 1903: The Northern Qing are not alone in believing a Southern Qing defeat is imminent, with international opinion overwhelming of the same mind. Nevertheless, there are a handful of observers who do not hold with this view. Among them is Yuan Shikai, commander of the troops which faced the recent limited Southern Qing offensive in Jiangxi Province. As the only Northern Qing commander who has had to attempt to defend against a Southern Qing attack, he is convinced they are far from collapse. In fact, in light of the Jiangxi offensive and other recent minor battles, he believes the Southern Qing are on the brink of a significant recovery Fearing the general offensive being contemplated by the Northern Qing Grand Council will very possibly end in disaster he makes secret contact with German representatives, seeking to gain their support for a coup to overthrow the Northern Qing administration. While hesitant, the Germans find his offer of additional concessions in Shandong Province, along with the expansion of their interests into the British sphere in Jiangsu Province attractive. Therefore, while unwilling to give any firm commitment at this point, they do agree to reconsider the matter if circumstances change.
October 1903: With the growing importance of electrical power and support for devolution in Britain, the Electrical Power Industry Act is passed. The act imposes forced mergers on the British electrical supply industry, rationalising it into five large regional companies, one each in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Ulster while granting the relevant Regional Assemblies authority to regulate the industry within a legislatively established framework of national technical standards, intended to ensure interoperability.
October 1903: With the end of the Boer War, the Imperial Army Corps in Egypt called for by the Melbourne Imperial Conference in 1901 is finally created. Consisting of two infantry divisions each consisting of twelve infantry battalions organised into three brigades, supported by a pioneer and cyclist battalion along with three field artillery battalions each with four six gun batteries, with a heavy battery with four guns attached at divisional level. The Corps will also include a three battalion cavalry brigade and a battalion of three four gun horse artillery batteries. The final component of the Corps will be a brigade with the four Royal Marine Light Infantry battalions and four batteries of Royal Marine Artillery each with four mountain guns. The Corps will incorporate the majority of the existing Egyptian garrison which is reduced to one third of the size of the Egyptian Army.
November 1903: After intense debate in the Northern Qing Grand Council, Dowager Empress Cixi's view regarding an immediate general offensive against the Southern Qing was accepted in early October. With only a month of preparations, the Northern Qing launch what they believe will be the campaign to bring final victory in the Chinese Civil war. Yuan Shikai's Beifang Army is to attack into Jiangxi Province toward Nanchang, Guixiang's Yousheng Army into Hunan, while Dong Fuxiang's Nanfang Army will attack into Southern Qing held Sichuan and then into Yunnan. However, while both Dong Fuxiang and Guixiang throw the full weight of their forces against the Southern Qing, Yuan Shikai chooses to hold back, only making week probing attacks against General Chen Jiongming's First Army. This proves vital, allowing the First Army to divert substantial reinforcements to the hard pressed Second Army, while General Yin Chang's Third Army conducts a gradual fighting withdrawal, extracting the maximum casualties for the ground conceded.
November 1903: In an effort to displace support for Japan and discourage German intervention in any war in the Far East, the British parliament votes to declare Japan a friendly nation under the Foreign Military Assistance Act.
November 1903: With Colombia unwilling to accept the US terms for the construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, the US has shift its focus to supporting separatist rebels in Panama. Believing correctly they have US support, Panamanian rebels declare their independence. The movement of Colombian troops to crush the rebellion is hindered by the refusal of the US controlled Panama Railway to allow its uses by Colombia, while US warships are deployed to prevent Colombian forces movement by sea. The US formally recognises the independence of Panama ten days after their declaration of independence, making it clear to Colombia they will tolerate no intervention. With this Panama effectively succeeds from Colombia. Within days, the US negotiate the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty allowing them to construct the canal on the same terms as the Hay-Herrán Treaty. The treaty is negotiated via telegraph between US Secretary of State James Hay and the French chief engineer of the canal project Phillipe-Jean Bunau-Varilla with no Panamanian involvement. The treaty will be met with a great deal of opposition by the Panamanian population and became a major issue in relations between the two nations almost immediately. The blatant US involvement in Panamanian independence will also create huge resentment in Colombia, with them attempting to imitate Chile and move into the British sphere of influence. While their hopes in this regard are buoyed by their Alfred close relations with Chile, the British are reluctant to jeopardise their relations with the US and will only respond coolly, though British commercial interests will take advantage of Colombian hostility toward the US to expand into the country.
November 1903: After six years of construction and £70,000 {£70,228} of cost overruns, the Shannon hydroelectric scheme in Ireland begins producing power. With an output of 40MW, the scheme is the largest hydroelectric station in the world, capable of supplying all of Ireland's needs, though the project has included a submarine power cable landing in Wales to enable the scheme to also supply power the mainland Britain. The scheme will result in a major increase in the industrial development not only of Ireland, but also Wales.
November 1903: French politics have now settled in five broad factions, the radical left republicans, the left wing liberals, the centrist moderates, the right wing conservatives and the far right boulangists, with all but the republicans and boulangists firmly committed to the new monarchy. In this new environment, the French Imperial Assembly elections result in Waldeck-Rousseau's moderates taking the largest single share of the vote. However while the radicals and boulangists continue to perform poorly, the conservatives and to a lesser extent liberals increase their representation. Nevertheless, Waldeck-Rousseau is able to form a government with support from the liberals. Waldeck-Rousseau will continue his cautious policy of national reconciliation and rebuilding after the chaos of the Dreyfuss Affair in domestic matters, with foreign policy remaining focused on maintaining the Entente with Russia, Improving relations with Britain and seeking to avoid any increase in European tensions.
December 1903: With the likelihood of war between Japan and Russia growing, talks between Japanese Foreign Minister Komura Jutarō and US Secretary of State John Hay result in the Hay-Komura Agreement whereby the US agrees to adopt a policy of benevolent neutrality in the event of war. This agreement, along with the earlier British vote declaring Japan an friendly nation, will result in Germany becoming reluctant to intervene in any war between Japan and Russia.
December 1903: The second Australian federal election is held. The election results in a finely balanced parliament with the Protectionist Party holding 26 seats, Fee Trade Party 24 seats, Labour Party 22 seats and independents three seats. The Protectionist remains in government in coalition with the Labour Party, continuing their pro Imperial and protectionist policies.
December 1903: Orville and Wilber Wright make the first powered flight in the US, with their Wright Flyer No 1, making a 37m controlled flight. However it required a catapult assisted take off, with the Wrights not making a self powered take off until October 1905. However, unlike Santos Dumont, they patent all their developments, greatly hindering the development of aviation in the US.
